I was looking at the new WDFW fishing pamphlet and noticed that the two pole endorsement will apply in MA 13 year round.

"Two-Pole
- New this year, anglers can fish with two poles when
in possession of a valid Two-Pole Endorsement in Marine Area
13 year-round. Other coastal and Puget Sound salmon fishing
opportunities with two poles include: Sinclair Inlet in Marine Area
10 (July 1-September 30), the Tulalip Bubble in Marine Area 8-2
(May 30-September 21, 2014, and May 29-June 29, 2015), Willapa
Bay (August 1-January 31), and Baker Lake."

I also noticed that you may use two poles in allowable areas even without the endorsement on free fishing weekends.

Two pole endorsement is really great for a solo fisherman or two persons in a boat. I am enjoying it for sure.

Good luck, Rev.,

I bought one for the first time this year.

That way the boat can legally troll a full spread of gear and still deploy a sabiki rod to gather more fresh bait.

And maybe… just maybe… this bottom-dredging fiend will finally land a suspended salmon in 2014.

I can just hear it now….

"Hey…. that's MY rod!"

I believe that a baitfish rig has been an allowable extra rod, without a two rod endorsement for quite a few years, like as long as I have been paid more than a passing interest in the rules.

You're right. But it looks like it is/was only legal for MA 5-11 and 13. From the previous 2013 regs:

FORAGE FISH - Forage fish jig or forage fish dip
net only except ANCHOVY and SARDINE may be
taken by a cast net in Areas 1-4. Only one net may
be used at a time. Dip net gear must be held by the
rigid handle at all times and may not be used from
a vessel while under power. Cast net gear must be
in immediate control at all times with retrieval cord
in hand. Anglers with the reduced-fee license or a
Designated Harvester Card may use a forage fish
dip net with a hand-operated gate. Jig gear may
have up to three treble hooks or nine single-point
hooks, not to exceed ⅜" between point and shank.
While fishing in Areas 5-11 &13, a second line
using forage fish jig gear may be used to fish for
forage fish.

Thanks for the clarification, as I do most of my fishing in the Southern Puget Sound i do tend to focus on that area. I will be sure to broaden my horizon's.

Why not allow the 2 pole endorsement everywhere? After all, the goal is to harvest the hatchery fish.

I can tell you that the two pole endorsement made it a pain in the ass to find a spot on a dock at your local trout lake today. What used to support 50 anglers was down to 25 with each person having two rods out.

Are you saying that the two pole endorsement somehow put more boats on the dock, why, how?

I'm agnostic on the two pole endorsement. I do like the idea of increasing revenue to WDFW, if they would use it wisely, which could possibly happen, probably not likely though, as the fox seems to be guarding the henhouse.

Good for us...until they close the season early like in MA 9 last year.

I'd support a 2-pole for solo saltwater fishermen, but I don't agree with 6 poles out in a 3 man boat. It's just going to shorten the seasons.

My friends with fast boats ran to PT Townsend last year several times, and came back with limits every time, while the southern end started OK, but then closed because of all the fish caught a little farther north.

The seasons are set on quotas, not on harvesting all the hatchery fish.

Understandable for the trout dock fishermen. May need to change something there. For the boaters and in the salt and estuaries it doesn't matter. A limit is a limit. All it can do for you is get you off the water faster. As far as MA 9 last year, the fish didn't move out of MC Bank. Fluke IMO. Sometimes you have to travel. WDFW fixed that by reducing the limit to 1 H King this year. That reduction sucks if you ask me. Solo guys can manage and should get to fish w/ 2 rods. IMO it's pretty tough to manage 6 rods w/ 3 guys. Chinese fire drill set up mess with that much out.

I wonder how many of those two-rod-people on the docks actually purchased the 2-rod endorsement?

At one of my local lakes (which was rarely patrolled by wardens), the double and triple rods were always out in force, before the 2-rod endorsement even became legal.

And why would you let this happen? Don't you know how to stop obvious poaching? Or do you just bitch about it on forums? CALL wdfw. Make sure they follow up on it. (they do investigate poaching (with enough "encouragement!") Observing poaching and doing nothing about it is about as lame as it gets. Bob R

Sure I called it in. Even met the warden there one time in person and showed/provided the details. Of course everyone is in compliance with the rules when they see the warden coming down the path

Have you been calling in the snaggers during salmon season, when you are at the river?

Yeah, I've called them on the Nisqually River, and on the Sois in Neah Bay, state was responsive, Makah, not so much (not at all!). i've commented when people post photos of fish that are to be released held out of water for photo ops that don't need to be. The state has a program for helping people document poaching thru vid., cell phone pictures, etc. if confronting them is not your thing, I haven't seen snagging on the Chehalis, but we are in a boat. I call it in wherever I see it. Since I don't indulge in combat fishing I don't see the amount of snagging a lot of folks do.We keep the poacher hot line on speed dial,called in adults for fishing juvinlle pond in Elma, informed folks that were fishing out of season that they were in violation (mother with young child at Elmas ponds week after spring break, she just didn't know better, was glad to be told and avoid ticket) I 've gotten in more then one scene for calling people out for mishandling fish that are to be released and for trashing our lakes and rivers with litter. I got into a real doozy with some clown on the westport jetty attmpting to keep a 17 or 18 inch ling cod (he did throw it back cussing me out all the while). If there is obvious poaching going on we document it when possible getting car licenses and photos-vids. Even reporting this info helps, if they don't get them this time they will be looking for them the next. My wife and I both do litter pick-up at launches on both lakes and rivers on a volunteer basis with the state so we have a vested interest in protecting our resources and lands.I use a two pole endorsement, comes in handy on those cold, wet days when you need to get your fish and get out quick! It's your resource, don't be shy about defending it! bob r

Have a question may be someone can answer. Why Willapa Bay and not other estuaries? Has it worked as an experiment there? If so, lets spread it around. Big Astoria returns should be a green light for 2 poles per person this year.

I would think that this would get some folks off the water faster which in a crowded fishery would mean less boat traffic.Since you aren't allowed more fish with a two pole endorsement the same amount of fish would be available. bob r

Run,

They use it where there are excess harvest-able hatchery fish and low conservation concerns. Where opportunity is not significantly limited by effort.

Willapa is perfect for this as a terminal fishery that is essentially all hatchery chinook. There is a wipeout gillnet fishery too, so conservation is not really a major goal (despite recent rhetoric otherwise).

Using this in say MA9/10 would dastically shorten the season, so you trade rods for opportnity, not a good bargain. On willapa the managers really would like more rec harvest so they give us more rods (doesn't really help that much, but I have to admit it is fun). Don't think you'll ever see this in areas where there is a high abundance of wild fish (MA9, B10) as it could increase wild fish impacts and potentially limit opportunity.